Cost of living for seniors: supplement

The content of the article

• What is the cost of living
• Can a pension be less than a living wage
• PM for pensioners in Moscow and the Moscow region in 2018
• Social urban standard for residents of the capital
• Social supplement to the pensioner’s subsistence level
• At the federal level
• Regional co-payments
• Where to apply if the pension is below the subsistence level
• Who is eligible for social payments
• List of required documents

The Government of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as the Russian Federation) seeks to support vulnerable segments of the population by developing support measures to be financed from the state budget. The main type of social assistance is pension payment. Its accrual is due to people with disabilities, including from childhood, dependents on the loss of a bread-winner, and people of advanced age who have gone on a well-deserved rest. The reference point for calculating the size of the benefit is the subsistence level of the pensioner (hereinafter referred to as the PMP).

What is the cost of living

The amount of material resources that a citizen requires for normal life support is called the subsistence minimum (hereinafter – PM). It is formed on the basis of the following factors:

• nutrition – the main part of the PM, which is food products;
• maintaining health – the acquisition of drugs;
• provision of natural necessities – the purchase of clothing, shoes, other non-food (household) goods;
• physiological needs – payment of utilities (sewage, gas, water, electricity) and public transport.

PM is the basis for calculating all social government benefits. Its size is established by the Government of the Russian Federation, indexed and recalculated 1 time per quarter (four times per calendar year) and fixed by law. The subsistence minimum for a pensioner is a value that is determined by the amount of money required to maintain a decent standard of living for older people when they reach old age: men – from 65 years old, women – from 55 years and older. The general structure of the PM:

PMP regional indicators:

Can a pension be less than a living wage

The old-age allowance may be less than the subsistence level for pensioners. Consists of 3 parts, it includes:

• Fixed (basic) payment – its size is 4982.9 rubles for 2018.
• Insurance and funded parts, the formation of which is as follows:

Since 2013, the Russian Federation has been reforming the mandatory pension insurance (hereinafter – the OPS). The OPS transformation program provides for the introduction of a system of points that are awarded to the future recipient of benefits according to 2 main indicators:

• the amount of contributions accrued from the salary of the worker and transferred to the FIU;
• working (insurance) seniority – working out the years during which the employee officially received his salary, making mandatory payments to the FIU from it.

If for some reason the senior citizen has not scored the required number of points for applying for the insurance part, he can only apply for a social pension, fixed by law at the minimum value of a fixed payment. The same allowance should be provided to persons with disabilities, including from childhood, in connection with their status. According to the Federal Law of the Russian Federation of 17.07.1999 No. 178-FZ, both categories of citizens on a common basis rely on:

• Retirement supplement due to increase in district coefficient. Its use is associated with difficult working conditions in certain regions of the Russian Federation, for example, in the Far North and territories equated to it. It is believed that living in these areas requires additional costs.
• Social supplement to pensioners up to the subsistence level if the amount of the benefit received by them is less than the PMP established in the region.

PM for pensioners in Moscow and the Moscow region in 2018

The capital level differs from the regional one – it is much higher. The cost of living for pensioners living in Moscow is set at around 12,320 rubles / month. When calculating the urban PM for 2018, based on the minimum cost of the metropolitan consumer basket, the basic sets of food and household goods (food, clothing, hygiene items) and standard packages of required services (communal, public transport) were taken into account. The situation in the Moscow region is different – PMP is lower than the capital and is set at 9527 r.

Social urban standard for residents of the capital

The minimum social pension in Moscow, taking into account the regional surcharge, is 17,500 rubles. It is believed only to old-timers – persons registered and living in the capital for a total of at least 10 years. The capital allowance is assigned to vulnerable categories of people in the general manner established by the legislation of the Russian Federation: non-working pensioners, people with disabilities, dependents who have lost their breadwinner.

Social supplement to the pensioner’s subsistence level

Non-working citizens of the Russian Federation who receive security that does not reach the PHC are entitled to a social supplement from the state budget. The following persons have the right to apply for her appointment:

• recipients of old-age benefits, the amount of which is less than the cost of living for pensioners in the region;
• persons living in the Far North and territories equated to it – they are entitled to allowances: an increase of 50 – 200% according to the district coefficient;
• unemployed persons with disabilities 1, 2, 3 groups;
• dependent survivors.

So that people can satisfy their basic needs – to buy the necessary goods and pay for services, pension payments and allowances to them are calculated and accrued in accordance with the PM established by the subject of the Russian Federation:

• at the federal level – the amount of benefits is lower than the total cost of living for pensioners throughout the Russian Federation;
• at the regional level – the amount of social security is higher than the national emergency, but lower than the local level established by the authorities of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation.

At the federal level

A federal social supplement (hereinafter referred to as the FSD) is a government allowance accrued to a non-working pensioner, provided that his monthly income is lower than the regional primary care unit. The allowance due to a child who receives a survivor benefit is calculated automatically. The difference between the size of the regional PMP and the amount of the actual monthly income of a pensioner (hereinafter referred to as the EPP), for which he is entitled to claim, can be calculated by the formula FSD = PMP – EPP.

Regional co-payments

Local allowances, which are accrued by the budgets of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation to registered recipients in these territories, are called social regional surcharges. As a rule, they are paid to citizens residing:

• in the Far North and areas equated to it in connection with difficult conditions that require additional costs;
• in regions with high living standards.

Where to apply if the pension is below the subsistence level

The beneficiary should find out the cost of living for a pensioner in his region of residence. If the amount of social security accrued to him is lower than the PMP, he is entitled to apply for an additional payment to the authorized body at the place of residence:

• district department of social protection of the population;
• multifunctional center (hereinafter – MFC);
• branch of the FIU;
• through gosuslugi.ru – a portal of public services remotely.

Who is eligible for social payments

Any non-working citizen who is entitled to receive benefits can apply for a social supplement if the amount of his monthly financial security is lower than the level of PM established in the region at the time of application. The total income of a non-working pensioner consists of the following revenues:

• any type of state allowance;
• additional material support – benefits that include allowances for special services to the fatherland, to the Heroes of the USSR and the Russian Federation, to veterans of the Great Patriotic War and other military operations;
• monthly cash payments, including the cost of a set of social services;
• material compensation for travel on public transport;
• government subsidies for housing and communal services.

When calculating the income of a person receiving social benefits, lump sum payments and state support measures expressed in kind are not taken into account. They cannot prevent a pensioner from applying for a bonus and serve as an excuse for an employee of the authorized body to refuse to charge the applicant – such actions violate his legal rights. There are 2 types of social co-payments:

Example 1: Ivanov lives in the Kemerovo region and has entered into the right to receive old-age benefits. His monthly income is 6 578 rubles, the cost of living for pensioners in the region is set at 7 805.6 rubles, and in the whole country – 10 929 rubles. He can apply for a federal allowance. Example 2: Sidorova lives in Moscow and made out accrual of payments for old age. Her total monthly income does not exceed 11,500 rubles, which is higher than the subsistence level for pensioners in the country, but lower than in her region – 12,320 rubles. She has the right to receive a regional surcharge.

List of required documents

A person who has been assigned a benefit who has not previously received this type of surcharge should contact the territorial branch of the PFR or MFC personally or remotely submit an application online through their personal account on the Gosuslugi.ru portal. He will need the following documents:

• passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation or any other document proving the identity of the applicant;
• an application drawn up and filled out according to the relevant model – as a rule, is placed on the stand with information;
• pensioner’s ID.